SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

December 7, 2011 by Snow Wildsmith

Review: Summer Camp Science Mysteries, Vol. 1-2

December 7, 2011 by Snow Wildsmith   Leave a Comment

Nine-year-old twins Angie and Alex Rayez aren’t sure about heading to Camp Dakota for the summer, but it turns out that camp is pretty fun. They like their quirky camp counselors, Kyle and Loraine, and their fellow campers, Braelin, Rashawn, and Jordan. (Though it’s too bad that Carly is such a snob.) But camp soon turns strange as someone begins leaving them mysterious notes and clues about the terrifying fog zombie. After that mystery is solved, then they find another: Braelin is accused of being a thief, but he insists that he never took anything. Can Angie and Alex and their friends figure out what’s going on by using science to find the answers to these puzzles?

Summer Camp Science Mysteries, vol. 1-2
Written by Lynda Beauregard; Illustrated by Der-Shing Helmer
Ages 8-10; Grades 3-5
Lerner/Graphic Universe, 2012, 48 pages each
Volume 1: In Search of the Fog Zombie
Hardcover ISBN 9780761356899, $29.27
Paperback ISBN 9780761385448, $6.95
eBook ISBN9780761387442, $21.95
Volume 2: The Nighttime Cabin Thief
Hardcover ISBN 9780761356929, $29.27
Paperback ISBN 9780761385431, $6.95
eBook ISBN 9780761387473, $21.95

The Summer Camp Science Mysteries clearly take their cue from Lerner’s Manga Math Mysteries, as they use a very similar formula: a graphic novel format, a multicultural cast of characters, a unique setting that requires a group of kids to spend time together, and a simple mystery that can only be solved using scientific principles. And like the Manga Math Mysteries, the educational component of the story sometimes seems forced, unable to be smoothly and seemlessly integrated into the story.

But, that complaint aside, I did enjoy the Summer Camp Science Mysteries (and the Manga Math Mysteries, for that matter). There is something appealingly earnest about them. Beauregard and Helmer — who is a high school biology teacher, in addition to a graphic novel artist — both clearly love science. This love shows in how excited their characters get about showing off their scientific knowledge. Everyday moments become a way to show off a “trick” or to use science in a fun way. To continue the fun, there are experiments in the back of each book that looked interesting enough that I wanted to do them myself.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Another nice element of these first two volumes of the series is Helmer’s art. The characters are distinctive and the settings believable, even when drawn in a clear, easy to follow cartoon style that is pleasingly bright and colorful. Part of the reason I was so excited to read this series is because of the multicultural cast. Volume One: In Search of the Fog Zombie is one of the first graphic novels I’ve read in a long time that has four non-white characters on the cover. It’s sad that in this day and age that is still a rarity, but I am pleased that Helmer and Beauregard (and Lerner) made the decision to create characters who look and act like the children who will be reading these books. I hope that more graphic novel creators and publishers will join them and soon. Meanwhile, schools can happily add these to their roster of educational graphic novel titles, secure in the knowledge that they will likely spark some scientific curiosity in the children who read them.

This review is based on a complimentary copy supplied by the publisher. All images copyright © Lerner/Graphic Universe.

Filed under: All Ages, Graphic Novels, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Snow Wildsmith

Snow Wildsmith is a writer and former teen librarian. She has served on several committees for the American Library Association/Young Adult Library Services Association, including the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award Committee. She reviews graphic novels for Booklist, ICv2's Guide, No Flying No Tights, and Good Comics for Kids and also writes booktalks and creates recommended reading lists for Ebsco's NoveList database. Currently she is working on her first books, a nonfiction series for teens.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

January 2023

My Sister, the Cat, vol. 1 | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

January 2023

History Comics: Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

September 2022

History Comics: The Roanoke Colony | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

September 2022

Batman's Mystery Casebook | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#181)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Monkey Prince Vol. 1: Enter the Monkey | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Readers’ Poll Results

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

The Value of Innocence for BIPOC Students, a guest post by David Mura

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Top 10 Manga of 2022

Summer Camp and Beyond: 24 Middle Grade Graphic Novels | Summer Reading 2021

Eight Graphic Works that Offer Fresh Perspectives on the Past | Stellar Panels

Latinx Graphic Novels to the Fore | Stellar Panels

10 Manga Titles for Teens Who Watch Anime

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023